Everton star Ross Barkley is one of the most coveted young players in Europe, especially amongst former Liverpool players, who frequently heap praise on the 21-year old attacker. Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is reportedly an admirer of Barkley, but Everton legend Ian Snodin claims that there is absolutely no chance of the youngster every signing for Liverpool.
In April, Liverpool were linked with an improbable £38m summer move for Barkley (swiftly dismissed by Everton boss Roberto Martinez), and when asked this week about the possibility of a future move to Anfield, Snodin noted:
"Ross will be a wanted player because he's terrific [but] I don't think Liverpool have much of a chance signing him. I don't think Ross would like to upset Evertonians and go across the park".
Snodin did, however, concede that if such a deal is to happen, the transfer fee will have to be considerable"
"If he does happen to go in the next few seasons, he'll go for a lot of money".
Whilst I agree that a move to Liverpool seems improbable, as Snodin suggests, money talks, and Everton will undoubtedly sell for the right price, and if the Reds are the highest bidders - and Barkley is open to the move - then a deal could conceivably happen.
One thing's for sure, A whole host of ex-Reds would love to see Barkley at Anfield. After watching his performance against Ecuador recently, Dietmar Hamann raved:
"[Ross] Barkley is special. He reminds me of [Michael] Ballack"
Ex-Reds Jamie Redknapp, Mark Lawrenson, and Jamie Carragher are also huge fans of Barkley. In a recent column for the Daily Mail Redknapp enthused:
"He [Barkley] is magnificent. We’ve not had a player in this country since Gazza who can run the length of the pitch with the ball without ever looking under pressure. It’s as if the ball is glued to his foot".
Lawro is equally impressed:
"The more first-team action [Barkley] gets, the more we are seeing he is pure gold. Whether he is still at Goodison or moves on, he should develop into a massive midfield presence"
Jamie Carragher added:
“There has been a lot of talk on Merseyside about Ross. We talk about the players that will come through and ask who is going to replace Steven Gerrard? Who is going to replace Frank Lampard? That goal on Saturday was Gerrard-like"
Switching clubs on Merseyside is not that uncommon. In the last 30 years, the following players have done the unthinkable:
* Peter Beardsley
* Abel Xavier
* Nick Barmby
* Gary Ablett
* Kevin Sheedy
* David Johnson
* Alan Harper
Alas, Steven Gerrard may already have sabotaged any LFC attempt to sign Barkley. In a recent interview, the youngster revealed the advice he'd received from Liverpool's captain:
"I sat next to him [Gerrard] on the coach and he gave me loads of advice. He said the big hitters are going to be looking at me but the main thing for me is to stay with the club I’m at, the team I support and love, which is Everton"
Reverse psychology, perhaps?
Author: Jaimie K
In April, Liverpool were linked with an improbable £38m summer move for Barkley (swiftly dismissed by Everton boss Roberto Martinez), and when asked this week about the possibility of a future move to Anfield, Snodin noted:
"Ross will be a wanted player because he's terrific [but] I don't think Liverpool have much of a chance signing him. I don't think Ross would like to upset Evertonians and go across the park".
Snodin did, however, concede that if such a deal is to happen, the transfer fee will have to be considerable"
"If he does happen to go in the next few seasons, he'll go for a lot of money".
Whilst I agree that a move to Liverpool seems improbable, as Snodin suggests, money talks, and Everton will undoubtedly sell for the right price, and if the Reds are the highest bidders - and Barkley is open to the move - then a deal could conceivably happen.
One thing's for sure, A whole host of ex-Reds would love to see Barkley at Anfield. After watching his performance against Ecuador recently, Dietmar Hamann raved:
"[Ross] Barkley is special. He reminds me of [Michael] Ballack"
Ex-Reds Jamie Redknapp, Mark Lawrenson, and Jamie Carragher are also huge fans of Barkley. In a recent column for the Daily Mail Redknapp enthused:
"He [Barkley] is magnificent. We’ve not had a player in this country since Gazza who can run the length of the pitch with the ball without ever looking under pressure. It’s as if the ball is glued to his foot".
Lawro is equally impressed:
"The more first-team action [Barkley] gets, the more we are seeing he is pure gold. Whether he is still at Goodison or moves on, he should develop into a massive midfield presence"
Jamie Carragher added:
“There has been a lot of talk on Merseyside about Ross. We talk about the players that will come through and ask who is going to replace Steven Gerrard? Who is going to replace Frank Lampard? That goal on Saturday was Gerrard-like"
Switching clubs on Merseyside is not that uncommon. In the last 30 years, the following players have done the unthinkable:
* Peter Beardsley
* Abel Xavier
* Nick Barmby
* Gary Ablett
* Kevin Sheedy
* David Johnson
* Alan Harper
Alas, Steven Gerrard may already have sabotaged any LFC attempt to sign Barkley. In a recent interview, the youngster revealed the advice he'd received from Liverpool's captain:
"I sat next to him [Gerrard] on the coach and he gave me loads of advice. He said the big hitters are going to be looking at me but the main thing for me is to stay with the club I’m at, the team I support and love, which is Everton"
Reverse psychology, perhaps?
Author: Jaimie K
Well which league do you prefer watching, EPL or La Liga? Suarez was fouled time and time again while playing for LFC but that does no mean he could not display his flair or that his brilliant individual skill was wasted.
ReplyDeleteRight now as things stand, we are a weakened side which may not finish in top 4 this season. If we signed good players and achieve top 4 then and only then we can go for players like Barkley. Our current focus should be on replacing Suarez's 43 % involvement in goals with very good players.
ReplyDeleteSuarez is the exception, not the rule. For skill and flair, La Liga is better to watch. The Prem overall is more exciting overall because it's not a 2-horse race every year, and every team can beat every other team.
ReplyDeleteNot a chance of him going there!! Plus the only way for Everton to win trophies again and try and improve on being the 4th most successful club in England is to keep hold of such players and add to the current team with some good buys.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that Everton fans will want transfer him for free to Manyoo or Chelsea than sell him to Liverpool for any fee. Everton vs ManC said it all.
ReplyDeleteYou are allowed more time on the ball in La Liga.
ReplyDeleteSerie A is another league where players have time on the ball to do their tricks etc but watching that league is like watching paint dry.
Rodriguez maybe just is not cut out for a more physical game otherwise he would not have a problem with joining the EPL.
I disagree there's only a couple of teams in Spain who have the skill, technique and flair you talk of. The PL is more physically demanding but if your good enough the talent will always shine through. Zola springs to mind.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it'll never happen. I do sometimes find it odd that Everton players will happily go to United or City but not Liverpool. Of course the in-city rivalry is a big one but Liverpool and Everton fans live together, so it's also a mostly good-natured rivalry. No question that neither club would like a cross-town transfer to happen but I can't imagine it would ultimately be that much worse than any player leaving a boyhood club. The nastiness coming from a portion of Saints fans these days is pretty rotten, it's just how some fans get when a player decides somewhere else is a better option. I'm not actually totally sure that Everton to Liverpool would be any worse than that.
ReplyDeleteThere is no chance we will ever be able to get Thiago from Bayern especially under Guardiola. So we can dismiss that one straight away. To be honest other than Thiago I'm really not keen on your other choices. Muriel hasn't really pushed on over the last year or 2 like everyone had expected. Ben Arfa is very hit and miss and so injury prone. Shaarwaay is in interesting one but not sure I would go much over 15 million for him.
ReplyDeleteT Alacantra(23) is not a first choice automatic starter. And if B Rodgers tried to go for him who knows, remember they have schweingsteiger, Lahm, Kroos, Gotze, Kroos, Martinez and Alacantra who play or can play in their centre midfield.
ReplyDeleteIf B Rodgers went for him, who know's? We could get him. Muriel(23) would be a better gamble than Origi(19) though. B Arfa(27) is class quality attacker if fully fit and injury free there is not one full back in world football he wouldn't cause problems. El Shaarwaay (21) is a very good player, he had bad injury last season but came back at the end of May 2014. If he gets fully fit and injury free he will be an awesome player for us, class, creativity, goals, mobility, pace, skill and speed he would bring to our attack.
Thiago is a first choice starter. He picked up an injury towards the end of the season but prior to that he was a pretty much automatic starter for Bayern. Plus Kroos is on his way out and there's talk of Schweinsteiger too. Not gonna happen.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to Muriel vs Origi who knows. They are both gambles in my opinion. Ben Arfa doesn't like the dirty work much either he's a decent player but he's not an improvement on what we have so I wouldn't be keen.
No Liverpool v Palace said it all...buffoon. I can only assume from your comment you're inferring Everton didn't play against Citteh.... 5 points clear 3 games to go...
ReplyDeleteThe common mistake that many people make is they 'expect Barkley to do what Rooney did'. Rooney was an exception. He grew up in poverty. He had one of the most controversial football agents in his ear. And he was playing in a struggling side. He also had off the pitch demons - using brothels, etc. Barkley is a completely different character,at a now very stable, upwardly mobile club, that makes steady progress year on year and is on the verge of crashing the top 4. Last season's points total would have seen EFC in the CL in 8 of the previous 10 seasons. He has a great chance of winning things at Everton, certainly as much as Liverpool do. Martinez has actually won a trophy in his managerial career, something Rodgers is yet to do. Also, the idea that the rivalry between EFC and LFC is 'good natured' is a massively dated myth. Barkley tweeted delight on several occasions last season when LFC got beat.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that Everton fans wouldn't want him sold to anyone. And we make no apologies for greatly disliking Liverpool. Liverpool fans greatly dislike Everton, and thats the way it should always be.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and 'EFC vs ManC' didn't really 'say it all'. It was a myth created by the media. I didn't see any EFC fans celebrating when City scored. But if you watch the video of Liverpool vs Blackburn from May 1995, you can see lots of LFC fans celebrating when Shearer scored, as it was stopping Man Utd winning the title. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with Dixie...not a bluenose 'trolling' just attempting to dispel a few irksome myths...hence the post above. Whilst Liverpool are no doubt a massive club they still haven't won the league since 1990 (compared to our last title in 1987). No doubt a great club but one with an uncanny knack for condescension and a patronising air...
ReplyDeleteAh, thought I remembered you saying you were Montenegrin. Thanks for answering and for the insight.
ReplyDeletei can see it MAY happen only at JAN transfer...
ReplyDeleteI cant see everton can replicate their fine season. Lot reasons like extra matches, squad changes, lukaku? n etc..
If everton doom this season he may d 1st submit transfer request
The difference is with the new TV money Everton can afford to keep him rather than sell. For us to prize him away itvwoyld probably take Torres money. Perhaps not so much for another team but for us it would have to be very large. I have no doubt on that.
ReplyDeleteAlso I suggest people listen to the anfieldvwrap this week. Tony Barrel of the times is on it and his insight is interesting.
Not necessarily how I'd spend the money, but that is just a likely scenario from the information presently at hand.
ReplyDeleteWe should pay no more than £15m for Lovren.
I don't think that the rivalry compares with Saints Pompey or City United in terms of nastiness Adam. Whilst there are many friendships between reds and blues there is also an awful lot of needle and antagonism that goes beyond banter but is still very real.
ReplyDeleteI think it stops well short of hatred but it still exists..l
I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few blues celebrating in the same way. We don't dislike you as much as you dislike us. We save that for United. I know I'm not alopecia wishing Everton well. As long as it is not as good as us.
ReplyDeleteI respectfully disagree. I'm an Everton season ticket holder and I've been to Anfield loads of times as an away supporter for the derby. You despise us, from your Steau Bucharest 86 banners on the Kop, to your '10 more years' Moyes chants, to your '18th anniversary of no trophy birthday cake' banner that you brought to Goodison. You like to patronisingly position yourselves as disliking Man Utd more, but that's really not true and deep down you know. Reality bears this out.
ReplyDeleteMartinez also has had a team relegated which kind of detracts from that point bit. Otherwise a relatively fair post. There are some reds who seem to think we operate on a different level to most clubs despite evidence to the contrary which annoys me too a little. I think perspective is necessary. Having said that ours and about five other clubs spending power may mean Everton will always find themselves outside of Europe. Perspective us necessary but money talks.
ReplyDeleteEverton have been 'replicating fine seasons' every year for the past 8-9 years. It's really boring to read naysayers - we have a good season and then pundits and opposition dismiss us. Then we repeat it again. People just don't want to admit we have a good top 6 side nucleus. We also now have a really positive good manager. We had Europa football in 07/08, we were in the competition all the way to March, and we still finished 5th in the Prem that season. That was achieved with a much smaller squad than we have now.
ReplyDeleteMartinez also had a far worse team at his disposal, and also kept Wigan up for several years. It doesn't distract from any point. Houllier got relegated once. Rodgers was sacked from Watford in the past and you all rate Rodgers.
ReplyDeletei didnt see any EFC fan celebrating when EFC scored
ReplyDeleteThere's too many reasons why this transfer isn't going to happen to bother listing them. Non-story
ReplyDeleteActually as a Liverpool fan i loved watching Everton play and was rooting for them to replace Arsenal for the top 4. But Everton is full of silly cu...nts
ReplyDeleteI think you need to change your phrasing there. It's certainly not me and everyone. Other than the Bucharest thing which I can't say for sure what it was about (there could be many interpretations there and only those with the banners know for sure) the others sound like the kind of banter that van go on between mates. If there are sections of your support who take that too serioudlyvit is really problem rather than evidence of disdain. Like I said I know plenty of people who don't see you in the same way they see united. So for accuracy you may want to say some or even lots rather than the ad ll encompassing you.
ReplyDeleteThis!!
ReplyDeleteThe thing is that we hate United more because they have grown bigger than us. But if given choice i would like to watch Liv vs Eve all day long.
ReplyDeleteFair posts I suppose but without being disrespectful to Martinez as I think he is a good manager and had to sell players regularly but we're they not comfortably mid table when hevtook over? And winning a cup is not the beall and end all. Ask King Kenny. If you win a trophy but fall right in to midtable is it still a success?
ReplyDeleteWe have some Everton fans on the menu tonight. Enjoy !!!
ReplyDeleteLook lads. Both managers are 2 of the young coach's in the business. I'd love nothing more than L.F.C to sign this young lad. But I can't see it happening, so chill out lads with manager's better than yours nonsence Y.N.W.A
ReplyDeleteOrigi is average and buying him would be a mistake, rather put that money toward a top player instead of doing a alberto/aspas/borini again
ReplyDeleteHow right you are. Everton's main priority - in fact their only priority - is to sabotage Liverpool. Anything else is a bonus. A very small club.
ReplyDeleteNo, he was implying that they didn't. And he was right. Amazing how many people confuse those verbs.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Liverpool win that match! Strong argument you've got there mate.
ReplyDeleteI think you are almost alone. I despise Everton myself - a small club is one thing but Everton's mentality is really sickening. I'd love to see them go down.
ReplyDeleteHow good he was? Was he actually on the field against Argentina? I doubt if he would make even as much impact as Aspas in the Prem. A total and hopeless dud. Hope to God Spurs get him. Getting him in place of Suarez would be like getting Susan Boyle for Angelina Jolie.
ReplyDeleteYep, but it isn't going to happen. Liverpool CANNOT attract top players like that. Liverpool are not Barcelona or Real Madrid. Sadly - and I do find it sad - top players go elsewhere. Look at Barcelona's three signings thus far - absolute and total class. Now look at what LFC have got.
ReplyDeleteIf BR is crazy enough to waste money on Origi then, I am sorry to say, Liverpool thoroughly deserve the rotten season which I feel lies ahead. The lad is pure hype. If he was actually on the field against Argentina ( and i'm not sure he was ) then he must have been hiding. In three words he is A TOTAL NONENTITY.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's likely there is a club crazy enough to spend twelve million on Lucas. I mean, he's so talented , isn't he? Not to mention the fifteen to twenty goals he knocks in each season. Sadly, the only club daft enough to pay that money for a no-hoper like Lucas is...Liverpool. Ironic, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteWell until we get world class centre midfielder in, we are going to struggle as S Gerrard(34) should be used from the bench. But as he is the only world class midfielder we have at club, B Rodgers over plays him. Gerrard like Ferdinand and lampard have had their days( Years) and are on their way out, That is why chelsea and Man United did not offer them new contracts.
ReplyDeleteChelsea now have enough class, quality midfielders who will replace the class and quality of Lampard. They will not score as many goals: But in Fabregas, Matic, Oscar and Ramires they have real class quality in centre of park.
Lucas, J Allen and J Henderson are three players who do the same job, just Henderson has more to his pressing game and has more mobility and pace than the other two.
They all create very little going forward, they all are descent passers of the ball backwards and side ways, they all have an abyzmal goals to games ratio.
And none of them are world class and none of them will ever be a world class midfielder, so B Rodgers needs to bring in a world class young centre midfielder.
Considering Lukaku is about five times better than Origi, I agree with you that it is a little strange.
ReplyDeleteRealism, at last. Congratulations. Top notchers at Anfield are a thing of the past and even if they got one he would be taken away at the end of the season.
ReplyDeleteI prefer watching La Liga. Next question.
ReplyDeleteHe's not even average, actually. Mediocre would be a compliment.
ReplyDeleteI very rarely agree with anything you say, but on this I think I agree..
ReplyDeleteSon Heung-min is absolute quality, and for me the better choice having already spent a number of years in Bundesliga with Hamburg and now Bayer Leverkusen.. I'd be suprised if he was available though having only been there a year, but then so was Emre Can..
I agree we definitely do need a top top midfielder but personally can't see this happening this summer. We have the likes of Sterling, Lallana and Coutinho to be the creative/attacking midfielders plus whoever else we sign this summer, Shaqiri, Markovic etc. Think perhaps next summer that will be a more pressing issue.
ReplyDeleteWhy no criticism of Lovren whoring himself out for a move?
ReplyDeleteWe've heard rant after rant about players angling for a move (Reina and Suarez to specifically name two).
Yet, when a player has gone out and done the same thing to come to LFC, no criticism.
This summer there were pure class, quality top centre midfielders available, but B Rodgers and I Ayre didn't take their fingers out quick enough. ( Fabregas, Herrera and Rakitic) All those thre midfielders are better than every centre midfielder we have at club by a country mile, S Gerrard 5 years ago would have wiped the floor with them. But now he is in decline, when they are at their peak or coming to their peak.
ReplyDeleteT Alacantra(23) if B Rodgers offered 26-35M for i am sure we could get him as B Munich got him for 20M. There is no point having top class attackers if your centre midfield is average. I Love my team to death, but J Allen, J Henderson, L Leiva, E Can and an old ageing on his last legs Gerrard against the likes of Herrera, Rakitic, Modric, Isco, Vidal, Oscar, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Gustavo, Gabi, Koke, Schweingsteiger, Muller in league or Champions league is not going to cut it and we will be exposed due to lack of class and quality.
Yeah the pressing game is great , but when we get it what is Allen, Lucas or Henderson likely to do with it? Go side ways or backwards?
If B Rodgers does not bring in 1 world class centre midfielder he should bring in 3 and ship out L Leiva(27) to Napoli for 10-12M and J Allen(24) for 7-10M to anyone who wants him.
And then B Rodgers should bring in these 3 class, quality centre midfielders:
1: CM: J De Guzman (27) Of Villareal for 6-8M
2: CM: E Banega(26) Of Valencia for 5-8M
3: CM: M Sissoko(24) Of Newcastle for 10-12M
These three class quality midfielders will bring class creativity passing quality hunger physical presence mobility and pace to centre of park, with some goals. These three centre midfielders will bring more class, creativity to centre of park than L Leiva, J Allen and J Henderson.
I'm assuming 'this country' refers to England only. I think Gareth Bale has proved he can run the length of the field and score.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you must do a lot of research...but I stop as soon as I see El Shaarawy. He is titanically over rated. He is all velocity and no vector. He's like Neymar only without ball skills. So as soon as I see you tout this kid it makes me suspicious about the rest of your picks too.
ReplyDeleteDid you see him at Lille?
ReplyDeleteYeah, he is crap isn't he? Why doesn't he score 15-20 goals a season like all the best defensive mids, like Mascherano or Martinez or Busquets or Matic, or even some slightly older ones like Makelele or Davids or Deschamps.
ReplyDeleteGerrard's modesty. He doesn't realise that the loyalty he showed for Liverpool is almost unparalleled and modern footballers are all about money. Alas, Gerrard underestimated himself.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Tony Barrett, Liverpool hope to conclude a deal to sign Lazar Markovic this week. They're also set to discuss personal terms with Divock Origi.
ReplyDeleteGK Ochoa free
ReplyDeleteRodriguez/Rojo LB
Coleman/Serge Aurier RB
Mangala/ Inigo Martinez/ Hummels CB
Vidal/Barkley CM
2 from ; Shaqiri/Griezmann/Rodriguez/Sanchez WF/AM
Luis Muriel ST
Now we'd be talking. But alas we are looking at Bertrand and the like... Talk a good game, but hardly deliver. Let's see though, what unfolds in the summer window!
I cannot see my comment. Am I banned or something?
ReplyDeleteHmmmm not sure those midfielders are 'class' to be honest. Decent certainly. But not class. Class is Vidal. Class is yaya Toure Rakitic etc that you've mentioned already. Quite frankly these are the types of players we need to go for! Not Bertrand or Origi. Ross Barkley/Pogba/Koke have the ability to be class also. Class is Hummels for CB. Won't get him I imagine. We will waste £20M on Lovren. Why didn't we buy him last year when he was available? Why didn't we buy alderwiereld before he went to Atletico Madrid? Lovren is good but £20M is a waste. We haven't invested at all in defence- the glaringly obvious area of the pitch that cost us last season so many times! I'd rather heavily invest in the defence personally. We need defenders. And fast because we will get found out hard in the champions league!
ReplyDeleteLol love the sarcasm!!
ReplyDeleteIt is very very unlikely that we will get Barkley, the money that would be quoted for us being rivals would make it an insane transfer for a club in our position. I am optimistic, nervous and at times a bit frustrated with our transfer movements so far, although in comparison to many transfer windows before we are at least being linked with some good upcoming players that might turn out to the stars of the future. Whereas in the past we have opted for caution with such players watching other clubs take the gamble and at times profiting from it. Like Aguero when he was in Argentina, like Benteke, De Bruyne, Courtois. It does mean you risk about 10-20mil on a raw player that might turn out to be a dud but a few will always make the grade - and it is not like we have been able to buy class players which are the almost the finish article any time in the recent years, so buying young up coming talent, with a few experienced players when the market is right is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteYa so that is happening. Gareth bale all over again. When will this club learn? FML!
ReplyDeleteWell I still know I am not alone and to be fair and all do respect but from your posts you have seemed a more miserable sort of red anyway. But each to their own.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't really doing that mate just pointing to a flaw in his argument.
ReplyDeleteHe seems to rate Markovic quite highly doesn't he? I only saw some of him in Europa and whilst looking like he had something I hadn't seen enough to know for sure. I hope he is right.
ReplyDeleteit looks like torres all over again ...i hope we dont get a big fee and waste it..26m lallana...
ReplyDeletealready and the fees we are being quoted for others is crazyl
Liverpool are part of a Group of Companies so why don't Liverpool just buy Southampton FC and add it to there group.
ReplyDelete